Curated OER
Wrapped in Mystery
Sixth graders can identify five basic elements that most mysteries contain. They put the elements of mystery into a graphic organizer they can follow. They construct meaning after reading Poe's short story and identify or infer the...
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The Name You Once Gave Me, by Mike Phillips and The Dying Wish by Courttia Newland
Students read, analyze, critique and study the novels, "The Name You Once Gave Me," by Mike Phillips and "The Dying Wish," by Courttia Newland. They evaluate an extract from each novel and consider how a theme can provide a framework for...
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Carson McCullers: Loneliness and Frustrated Love
Students examine the themes of loneliness and frustrated love in the work of Carson McCullers. In this theme analysis lesson, students complete a comparison of patterns in the novels of McCullers as a part of a theme analysis.
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Study Guide: The Open Window
In this study guide learning exercise, students define vocabulary and literary terms found in the short story, "The Open Window". Students answer comprehension questions and examine third person point of view.
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Time to Read
High schoolers identify how the literary elements of theme, point of view, characterization, setting, and plot illustrate the effects of a certain disease on a community. They identify the aspects of the book that are specific to the...
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Story Mapping Abel's Island
Students are able to prioritize story elements using graphic organizers. They are able to evaluate character, setting and sequence in a non-print source. Students use visual and audio clues to help them evaluate the parts of a story.
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Comprehension: Setting
Young scholars discuss what setting represents. In this language arts lesson plan, students review the three elements of setting: where the story takes place, when does the story take place, and is it past, present, or future? Young...
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Relationship Between the Protagonist and Antagonist
Young scholars read Hansel and Gretel, and discuss the conflict in the story, while determining who the protagonist and the antagonist are. In this fiction lesson, students chart the conflict in the story they have just read.
Scholastic
Midnight Magic Discussion Guide
This discussion guide accompanies the fiction book Midnight Magic written by Avi, enforces story elements, inferences, and theme/plot. Have the class work on it over time, it will engage even your reluctant readers.
Curated OER
Figurative Language
What is figurative language, and why do we use it? Introduce your high schoolers to some examples and discuss the importance of including this element in your writing. After studying a text and searching for examples, writers will...
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Understanding Protagonists and Antagonists
How can you tell if a character is a villain? What about a hero? Work on literary analysis with an engaging language arts instructional activity. After completing an activity about the four types of conflict, learners fill out a...
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What If: The Seed Of A Story
Students read and comprehend a piece of fictional writing, analyze how setting, characterization, and plot affect the theme of a story and work in a group to create a new writing assignment. This 5-day plan culminates in students writing...
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A Formal Analysis of Science Fiction
Students write a five paragraph expository theme. They explain in their theme how the story they read qualifies as science fiction. Students write using all the conventions of English correctly.
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Comparing The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring
Students write an essay comparing The Hobbit to The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring lesson, students compare the plot, theme, writing styles, and other elements in the two books.
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Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Mixing Words and Pictures
Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy lesson focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then discusses how...
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Understanding Science Fiction
Fourth graders learn about the genre of science fiction. In this science fiction lesson, 4th graders learn about the characteristics of science fiction as a genre. They write an original piece of science fiction.
Louisiana Department of Education
How to Write a Memoir
Who are we and what shapes our identities? Seventh graders work to answer this question as they learn how to write a memoir. Full of non-print resources and supplemental texts that range from fiction to non-fiction, scholars write their...
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Tangerine: Writing Assignment: Paul’s Witness Account
As a final assignment in a unit study of Edward Bloor's Tangerine, individuals assume the voice of Paul Fisher and craft the witness report Paul mentions in the final pages of the novel. A great way to assess the...
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Summarizing Key Information
Imagine the surprise when small groups present their Evidence Charts to the class and discover that each group has studied a different version of the Cinderella story. Irish, Ojibwa, Egyptian, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Mexican, and...
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Comprehension Skills: Picture, Question and Summarize Using Fiction Stories
Students build a variety of comprehension skills through the nine lessons of this unit. Picturing events, monitoring understanding during reading, forming questions, and summarizing stories form the core of the lessons being taught...
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Music from a Place Called Half Moon
Pupils read the novel, Music from a Place Called Half Moon. They are assigned chapters to analyze for literary elements and to assign titles to the book chapters.
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Cyrano de Bergerac Nose His Terms
Students use the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" to identify and analyze drama vocabulary, literary terms and elements of fiction. They write an original version of scenes from the play and develop a character analysis for the lead.
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Identifying Plot Conflicts
Fifth graders identify plot conflicts in the text. In this plot conflict instructional activity, 5th graders read Dogs Don't Tell Jokes and recognize examples of character vs. self and character vs. character.
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Peer Editing
Sudents read and critique three of their fellow classmates' science fiction short stories on three consecutive days for mechanics, short story elements, style, and informational elements.